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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24043990">Like Glitter and Gold</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Animal_Arithmetic/pseuds/Animal_Arithmetic'>Animal_Arithmetic</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Hinata Shouyou/Sugawara Koushi friends with benefits... kinda, dragon!Hinata family</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:28:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,470</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24043990</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Animal_Arithmetic/pseuds/Animal_Arithmetic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Being a teenage dragon is hard. Just ask Hinata Shouyou. The hormones, the random shedding of scales, the itch to fly—you name it, it bothers him.</p><p>But, well, try being a teenage dragon, keeping it a secret from nosy volleyball teammates.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hinata Shouyou/Terushima Yuuji</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>201</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Tags will be updated as I write it. No real plan for this--found a post on pinterest from tumblr from midnight-scrivener that inspired this so we'll see where it takes us:</p><p>https://midnight-scrivener.tumblr.com/post/172903999609/what-if-people-we-consider-collectors-today-were</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I am flesh and I am bone<br/>Rise up, ting ting, like glitter and gold<br/>I've got fire in my soul<br/>Rise up, ting ting, like glitter<br/>Like glitter and gold<br/>Like glitter</p><p>Barns Courtney - Glitter &amp; Gold</p><hr/><p>The Hinatas were a long, proud line of dragons, always orange in color, starting clear back before that damn meteor that took out the dinosaurs. They adapted, of course, throughout the years to blend in with the dominant species, although they did miss being large, scaled, flying creatures in the modern world. It wasn’t safe, yanno? Not when humans would rather kill what they didn’t understand or, more so nowadays, captured to study and dissect. Luckily, their home hidden away in the mountains allowed them to transform and spread their wings from time to time. Unfortunately, procreating with humans had had the unfortunate side effect that their dominant form was more human-shaped than dragon-shaped, but.</p><p>Well.</p><p>There wasn’t much they could do about it.</p><p>Unlike the tales of old, they didn’t collect jewels and gold—no, they collected things that were precious to them.</p><p>As Hinatas, as a family, they collected rays of sunshine—early morning, evening, winter, summer, it didn’t matter. Their tears were excellent receptacles for such a thing, hardening upon their cheeks when secreted by their non-human tear glands. They caught the rays of sunshine in them, cupping the tears in their hands to absorb the warmth, which they then carefully placed in meticulously labeled jars, kept in a specific room just for that purpose. It was the brightest room of the house, jutting out so each of the three walls that protruded out had its own window to catch as much sunlight and warmth as possible. Each of them had their own wall and their own jars for their sunlight captures. His mother's wall, of course, was covered in carefully organized jars. Shouyou’s wasn't nearly as carefully organized, but he only had a dozen or so jars to care for. Natsu was still learning, though, and both Shouyou and their mother helped and encouraged her even though her tears turned out tiny or don’t harden enough to keep the sunlight’s warmth within. Her wall was much more sparse, which they assured her was alright since she was still so young. </p><p>Even though they usually kept their sunlight hoard in the one room, sometimes they would carefully pick out specific tears to give to the friends who knew they weren’t... quite human. Shouyou’s best friends each had their own small collection of jars that Shouyou had carefully picked for the both of them, always hand-delivered and always handled with care.</p><p>For their individual hoards, however, they each had their own little space for their collections in little rooms that jutted out from their bedrooms a great grandfather had built into the house specifically for that purpose.</p><p>Long, long ago, back when she was young and yearning, his mother used to collect the first flower of spring, combing meticulously through her home area for the first bloom. Each flower had been lovingly dried and dressed with a ribbon and carefully attached to the wall. Being so young, however, meant she only had a little over two hundred. Now, she collected the most beloved toys from childhood, the ones worn ragged and loved until the stuffing and thread ran bare. She had only started this collection after Natsu was born and had put up shelves to rest her new collection on. The flowers had been moved to the wall opposite the window to catch the sunset’s last rays of light before night slipped over them.</p><p>Shouyou never asked how she got the toys. He figured it wasn’t really his business.</p><p>His sister, as young as she was, liked collecting pretty rocks wherever she made a happy memory. They reminded her of the good times, she said, and each year got its own large vase nearly as big as she was. There were only three, so far, since she was still so little, but each vase was large enough to house the hundreds and hundreds of happy memories she made every year. They sat on the floor for easy access, and were painted in loud, happy colors and swirls and covered in butterfly stickers. Every day when she got home from school she would drop a pocketful of rocks into the current year’s bowl and added a handful more before she went to bed.</p><p>In time, perhaps, she would learn to collect happiness from other people.</p><p>But she was only seven, and still learning.</p><p>Shouyou, on the other hand, collected friends.</p><p>Not in, like, a creepy way though. He wasn’t a stalker or a serial killer or anything, promise! He just didn’t know how to be a stranger to anybody.</p><p>Like Natsu, he had used to collect little pretty rocks whenever he was happy. There were only three large vases, however, because he had eventually figured out that his happiness was usually tied to his friends.</p><p>So he had asked his mom to help him put up shelves in his hoard-room.</p><p>Each friend had their own space on each shelf, and there was no particular order to them, either. Each friend had a picture up, affixed to the wall above the shelf, usually a selfie with Shouyou, always updated on their birthday. Each one had a small little album with all their past pictures heading each year with pages of information Shouyou found important: their favorite foods, important events in their lives, their contact information, anything and everything he wanted to be sure to remember about them because his friends were <em>important</em> to him and he wanted to make sure they knew how much he loved them by doing little things for them or remembering little details that made them smile in surprise. He loved them each so much, <em>too</em> much, sometimes, held them near and dear and probably—most assuredly—loved them more than they loved him, but that was okay. He always tried to keep in regular contact with them, too, either writing letters or sending messages or meeting up with them the best he could.</p><p>Hardly any of them knew what, exactly, he was. They thought that he was cute and the whole thing was just a quirk of his that he asked for a picture on their birthday, but they always obliged him and never really asked questions. Thinking on it, only his two best friends knew, and they had been sworn to secrecy. They were good friends, he thought, carefully combing through his sunshine collection.</p><p>The three of them were heading off to different high schools next week, and he wanted to make sure they received the perfect tears so they wouldn’t forget him, so they would keep loving him. It was a little selfish, maybe, but...</p><p>Well.</p><p>Finally, he decided on two bright yellow tears from his warm summer afternoon jar. They were perfect, giving off the same warm, comforting heat, spreading through his fingertips and up his palm and into his arms, resting comfortably in his chest as he remembered all the fun they had had that summer.</p><p>Yes. They were perfect.</p><hr/><p>On the first day of school, Shouyou started his bike ride just before dawn.</p><p>It was quiet, on the mountain. Karasuno was a ways away, but that was alright. He enjoyed being active, the whir of the wheels, the clank of the chain, the stillness of the pre-dawn morning.</p><p>He stopped when it was safe to do so, his toes just barely reaching the ground as he stared at the horizon. He was still a ways up the mountain, but...</p><p>That was fine.</p><p>He wanted to catch the first ray of morning light for his first day of high school.</p><p>It was cool outside, but not unbearably so. It would be a fair day, probably—not too hot, but perfectly warm. Perhaps there would be a slight breeze.</p><p>The first ray of sunlight crested over the horizon.</p><p>Shouyou’s breath hitched at the sight. The blues and purples started to melt away into oranges and reds and he almost forgot that he wanted to capture it. Quickly—with practiced ease—he squeezed his eyes shut, willing the non-human tear duct to produce enough liquid for what he wanted to capture.</p><p>From the corner of his right eye, a warm liquid started to escape.</p><p>Quickly, he tilted his head back slightly, then raised his hand so the nail of his thumb pressed against the side of his nose and the back of his thumb pressed against his cheek with his first finger pressing up towards his temple, the rest of his fingers splayed out to absorb as much sunlight as possible. Over the years, he had found that position to be the best to collect the tear because it would run down his cheek, hit his thumb, then pool against his cheek between the curve connecting his thumb and first finger. He brought his left hand up to cup in front of his other palm, waiting for the liquid to harden.</p><p>It didn’t take long to form. Not like it used to.</p><p>Regular, more prickly tears burst forth to clear away the former tear so it wouldn’t harden to his skin. He used the back of his hand to wipe away the wetness on his cheek before cupping the tear in his palms, waiting for the early light to touch it.</p><p>It was a cooler ray of sunlight, turning the teardrop darker than usual.</p><p>But that was okay. This one was for him, for him to remember his first day of school, his first day at the same school the Little Giant had gone to.</p><p>Once the teardrop had absorbed enough of the early morning light, Shouyou straightened back up and fished out the cloth bag he kept on him specifically for the sunshine he collected. Carefully, he placed it in his backpack, making sure it was secure and wouldn’t get lost or broken.</p><p>Shouyou looked back at the rising sun, watching as it crested over the horizon, brightening the sky.</p><p>With a grin, Shouyou pushed off and continued down the mountain.</p><p>He had a feeling today was going to be an excellent day.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>High school was... different. That was for sure.</p><p>Shouyou wasn’t quite sure he really liked it, to be honest. It was much, much more difficult than middle school and he didn’t know <em>anybody</em>.</p><p>That, and his classmates had already dubbed him weird because he had two bentos—one filled with just barely cooked strips of steak and the other filled with his fruits and vegetables and rice for lunch. There was a third bento for a snack before practice that afternoon, too, that they questioned. They grimaced and sneered as he nearly inhaled his food—he was so <em>hungry</em>—whispering amongst themselves at the nearly raw steak he ate without a second thought. They had also raised a fuss when he had been allowed to drink his protein drink in class. Sure, he had tried to be as subtle as possible, but the kids had honed in and complained until they had been told to quiet down or risk detention.</p><p>But whatever. <em>Whatever</em>. It was what he needed to be healthy, so he wouldn’t possibly pass out later.</p><p>It sorta sucked that it didn’t seem like he would be making any friends in his class, though...</p><p>And it didn’t even get better later that afternoon when he was banned from the gym because of stupid Kageyama. That stupid Kageyama was making the fire in his belly crawl up his chest, and he had to be careful to keep the embers from spilling from his mouth. He could taste the smoke in the back of his throat, threatening to escape.</p><p>He wasn’t quite sure how it all happened, really, but... All he knew was that he wanted to rip something apart. With his teeth, preferably.</p><p>Then, at one point, completely on accident after Kiyoko-san had made her way into the gym, he had let out a burst of steam that Kageyama had... probably noticed, if the weird looks were anything to go by.</p><p>Ah. Great.</p><p>Today was just—<em>great</em>.</p><hr/><p>Shouyou never really got cold. The fire inside him kept him warm enough that he hardly needed the jacket and hoodie he wore, but he also had an image to keep up. Not many people were warm at five o’clock in the morning, after all.</p><p>Morning practice was... fine enough. Shouyou shoveled half his snack bento down his throat—much to his hopefully maybe soon to be teammates shock—before heading to class, grinning cheekily at them. At lunch he ate as quickly as possible before spending the rest of it practicing receives with Suga.</p><p>Suga was super nice, and Shouyou really enjoyed his company and help. He was kind of the only good thing about this stupid school, honestly.</p><p>And Shouyou really, really wanted to collect Suga. He could feel the itch, starting in his fingers. The burn in his palms turned into tingles up his arms, making his legs jittery from not being able to take a picture or write little notes.</p><p>He had to wait. He <em>had</em> to wait. He hated it, but he had to, because it was weird and people already avoided him so far and he missed his friends and he really wanted Suga to be his and—</p><p>“Hinata?” Suga asked, pulling Shouyou from his thoughts. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>“Nothing!” he forced out through clenched teeth. They had stopped practice because the warning bell had rung, even though Shouyou just wanted to practice forever.</p><p>“You’re shaking...”</p><p>He was. He was and he hated it. His hands trembled as he tried to think of a way to ask without sounding too weird...</p><p>“Can I...?” Shouyou swallowed as he pulled out the camera he carried with him everywhere. It had its own protective case and everything, something his mom had bought him a few years ago to help him with his hoard. “Please don’t think I’m weird,” he said quietly, hunching over the camera. “But can I take your picture?”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“I like to take pictures of my friends,” Shouyou admitted quietly. “It’s... a hobby? I guess? But I like having pictures of my friends and...”</p><p>Suga beamed at him. “I’d be happy to! I’m glad you think we’re friends,” he said with such a kind smile that Shouyou almost wanted to cry.</p><p>But Shouyou just grinned and plastered himself to Suga’s side, grin widening cheekily as he quickly and expertly took the picture to capture both their happiness. Once he was happy with it, he cradled the camera close to his chest and did his best to ignore the need to interrogate his new friend.</p><p>“Thanks!” he said instead. “You’re the first friend I’ve made here so this makes me really happy!”</p><p>Suga frowned, concerned. “You haven’t made any friends in class yet? I mean, I know it’s only been a few days but...”</p><p>Shouyou shook his head and carefully put his camera back. “Ah... No. They all think I’m weird.”</p><p>“What? Why?”</p><p>“... Because of what and how I eat and they think I’m a teacher’s pet...”</p><p>“Tell you what,” said Suga, guiding him back inside. “You can eat with me! I won’t think you’re weird or anything!”</p><p>Hunching his shoulders, gripping his bag tight, Shouyou said quietly, “But it <em>is</em> weird... Kids in middle school were weird about it, too, and some teachers were concerned until they received a letter from my doctor telling them it was okay and to not be worried... I mean, I was lucky this year because my mom had my doctor come down to talk to my teachers before school started, but...”</p><p>“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Suga jostled him gently and smiled pleasantly down at him. “If it’s what you need to be healthy, then go for it!”</p><p>Shouyou looked up at him skeptically. “I eat two bentos-full at lunch, and one is completely stuffed with meat. And then I have another bento for a snack before practice.”</p><p>“Where do you put all that?!”</p><p>“... In my mouth?”</p><p>Suga laughed, nearly falling into Shouyou at his mirth. The other students were staring at them, whispering and pointing at the third year hanging out with the weird first year. Shouyou could feel the tips of his ears burning—</p><p>“Ah! Hinata-kun! You’re burning up! Are you sick?”</p><p>Oh no. Shouyou tried to hide his panic. “No! I’m okay! I just put off a lot of heat!”</p><p>Suga was frowning, though, placing a palm to Shouyou’s forehead. “No. You’ve got a fever—”</p><p>“I promise I don’t,” Shouyou pleaded. He was already weird enough and he didn’t want the kids to make fun of him for this, too. Though it seemed to be too late, unfortunately. Kids were already whispering even more. He wriggled on the spot, trying to get Suga to let him go. “My body temperature is always around thirty-eight degrees. Please, Suga-san...” He eyed the students avidly watching them. “I’ll explain tomorrow, okay?”</p><p>Suga gave him a wary look, but nodded, determined. “Tomorrow.”</p><p>The muttering didn’t die down, even with the teacher called for their attention.</p><hr/><p>"How's school?" his mother asked later that night as she placed the cut up chicken on the table. She helped Natsu serve up her dinner, admonishing her for not putting enough meat on her plate.</p><p>Shouyou groaned. "It's so hard," he complained around a mouth full of broccoli. "The work is hard and I'm having to practice during lunch and I might need to start bringing more snacks and I've only made one friend so far. The other kids make fun of me already though... And Suga-san wants me to explain stuff."</p><p>His mother's smile dropped. She placed a hand over his, concern written all over her face. "It's only been a few days," she said quietly. "Just... give it a little time. And I can pack more snacks for you, it's not a problem." She chewed on her lip for a moment, watching him. He squirmed under her gaze. "I know... being a teenager is difficult, Shou-chan. And I'm sorry that you're not able to collect more for your hoard. It's hard, I know. But you'll get through it!" she added brightly. "You'll see! Once you get on the team, they'll all become your friends."</p><p>"Promise?" he asked, feeling miserable still. He almost didn't want to eat, but he knew he had to. He stabbed at a piece of chicken with his chopstick.</p><p>"Promise."</p><p>"Can we go flying Saturday?" Natsu asked, cutting in. "I feel itchy."</p><p>"You're always itchy," Shouyou teased. "But yeah, I'll take you after practice, okay?"</p><p>She smiled brightly at him, sauce smeared all over her chin. "Okay!"</p><p>His mom leaned over and pressed a kiss to his temple. "We'll be okay, Shou-chan. You'll see. We can practice what to say to Suga-san after dinner, okay?"</p><p>He couldn't help smiling back. "Okay."</p><hr/><p>“So,” said Suga the next morning at their extremely early morning practice. He yawned as he switched his shoes. “It’s tomorrow.”</p><p>Shouyou balked. “What?” He looked, eyes wide, at Kageyama and Tanaka watching them, curious. “Can’t we wait until lunch?”</p><p>“Just explain while we warm up,” Suga replied with that stupid little smile that made Shouyou want to please him. “If they’re going to be your teammates, too, it would probably be a good idea for them to know, too.”</p><p>“Then that means you want me to explain it to the entire team, too,” Shouyou grumbled.</p><p>“Yup!”</p><p>With a sigh, Shouyou started his stretches, following Suga’s cue when to switch. “I’ve got... a hyper metabolism.” It sounded too rehearsed and way too much like a lie, even though it really wasn’t. “My metabolism is much higher than a regular person’s. So I have to eat over four thousand calories a day and have a really high protein diet to sustain it or I’ll, like, pass out or something.” He tried to seem nonchalant about it, even though the other three were staring at him in acute horror. “And that also means I run at thirty-eight degrees for my normal body temperature. A regular person’s temperature is actually really dangerous for me,” he continued, grimacing as their looks of horror increased. “When I was a kid, a nurse at school thought I had too high of a fever and tried to cool me down and almost sent me into shock.”</p><p>“You’re obviously okay now,” Tanaka said, though he was frowning. “Jeez. What rotten luck, though. I mean,” Tanaka suddenly grinned and poked Shouyou’s stomach. “You eat twice as much as most people and you are still so tiny!”</p><p>“Hey!” Shouyou wasn’t pouting. He <em>wasn’t</em>, okay? “I can’t help it!”</p><p>Tanaka ruffled his hair and laughed as Shouyou swiped at him.</p><p>And... It was a little weird, and maybe he was hallucinating... but it almost seemed like Kageyama was being nicer to him after that...</p><p>And even finally threw him a toss.</p><hr/><p>As soon as they won the game, Shouyou collapsed to the floor. His limbs felt so heavy, they trembled and refused to move. His breathing was hard and he could feel his heart beat in his throat.</p><p>Ugh. Why did he feel so <em>awful</em>?</p><p>Oh, no. He had probably overworked himself, running all around the court like that. He hadn’t ever worked that hard all at once before... Not like that, at least. Had he burned up too many calories? He probably should have been drinking one of his protein drinks throughout the game...</p><p>“S-Suga-san?” Shouyou called out. Suga would be willing to help him, right? They were friends...</p><p>His friend—his friend!—rushed to his side. “What’s wrong, Shou-kun?”</p><p>“My... condition thing,” Shouyou whispered, feeling the shame make his face heat up. “I did too much. I have a banana in my bag. I’d get it myself but I’m so <em>tired</em>. Can you—”</p><p>Suga rushed off before he could even finish. His new teammates started to gather around, concerned at Suga’s rush. But Shouyou didn’t really have the energy to answer their questions. He sort of just wanted to go to sleep, but he knew that would be bad...</p><p>“Here you go, Shou-kun!” Suga said, thrusting an already partially peeled banana into his hand. “What else do you need?”</p><p>“This is good for now.” Shouyou grinned up at the older boy and took a giant bite, nearly smacking himself in the face because his arm didn’t want to cooperate. “Thanks!”</p><p>“Hey, you okay?” asked Daichi, squatting down at Shouyou’s other side where he was still sprawled out on the court. Shouyou took another bite, glancing at Suga.</p><p>Suga seemed to get the hint. “He’s okay!” he said brightly. “He’s just got a hyper metabolism. Not eating enough he says will make him pass out.”</p><p>Daichi frowned down at Shouyou. “Are you sure you should be playing volleyball, then?”</p><p>“I can play!” Shouyou replied with a glare. “I just didn’t realize a game would burn so many calories. I’ve never actually gotten a chance to play a game, besides that one last year, and, well...” He frowned down at his banana, finishing it off. Yeah, maybe he would just... lay there for a minute. His limbs still felt too heavy. Suga took the peel away from him. “I’ll just have to eat a little more before a game and have my protein drink throughout the game...”</p><p>Wait. He almost forgot.</p><p>“Wait. Does this mean I can be on the team?!”</p><p>Daichi chuckled. “Yeah, as long as you’re safe about it, I suppose. Do you have other things we might need to know about?”</p><p>“Uh...” Shouyou stared up at the ceiling, blinking slowly at the harsh lights. “My body temperature is thirty-eight degrees? That’s the only thing I can think of right now... Uh. Oh. Do we have a team medical bag or something? I have emergency stuff my doctor wants me to put in there.”</p><p>“Are you sure it’s a good idea to let him on the team?” sneered Tsukishima. “Seems more troublesome than it’s worth.”</p><p>Daichi turned, eyebrow raised. “You’re on the team even though your glasses could get knocked off or broken and you wouldn’t be able to see. As long as Hinata stays on top of it, it shouldn’t be a problem.” He turned back to Shouyou. “You good, buddy?” he asked softly.</p><p>Shouyou tried raising an arm. It wasn’t nearly as heavy as before. With Suga’s help, he sat up and smiled at his new teammates. “I’m good!” He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “I just need a snack and then I’m good to continue!”</p><p>“While you’re resting, we can put your stuff into the medical bag,” said Daichi, standing. He held out a hand for Shouyou to grab and easily hauled him up. “While we’re doing that—” Daichi turned towards Shimizu, who had already moved to go get the team’s medical bag. “Shimizu! They’ve arrived by now, right?”</p><p>Jackets! <em>Team</em> jackets! Shouyou vibrated on the spot, shaking with excitement when Shimizu handed him his. It fit <em>perfectly</em>! And he looked so cool, too! Shouyou proudly showed his off, grinning brightly as Tanaka praised him.</p><p>“Oh! Oh!” Shouyou shifted from foot to foot. Tanaka was a friend, right? They could be friends! “Tanaka-senpai!” he shouted, even though he was right in front of him. But he could barely contain his excitement. “We’re friends, right? Right?”</p><p>“Oh, uh, yeah!” Tanaka grinned right back at him, eyes forced shut from the force of it.</p><p>“Can I have your picture?!”</p><p>And was that... Tanaka being bashful? Tanaka’s smile fell and a light blush rose on his cheeks. “You want my picture?”</p><p>“Yeah! Yeah! I take pictures of all my friends!”</p><p>Tanaka’s smile grew. “Then yeah!”</p><p>Wait... Shyly, Shouyou turned to the rest of the team. “I can have pictures of you guys, too, right?”</p><p>Almost all of them—bar Tsukishima, of course—gave him encouraging smiles. Even Kageyama smiled shyly and nodded.</p><p>Shouyou giggled as he retrieved his precious camera. He and Tanaka lined up for a silly picture, Tanaka snarling playfully as Shouyou stuck out his tongue. The others decided to be more subdued with their photos, but they all gave their own smiles as Shouyou laughed. Tsukishima didn’t, of course, but he did admit that even if he found Shouyou to be annoying, they could be tentative friends. Even Kageyama gave a little smile with his picture with little grumbling. He had friends! Lots and lots of them! Even Daichi and Shimizu humored him with pictures when asked.</p><p>Best! Day! Ever!</p><p>Maybe high school wouldn’t be so bad...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Natsu~!” Shouyou called as he stepped inside. “I’m home!”</p><p>The tiny pitter-patter of feet came from the back of the house, growing louder as the tiny seven-year-old came into view. “Shou-chan!” Natsu cried, launching herself at him. He caught her with a laugh, deftly swinging her around as she giggled. “Flying time!”</p><p>“I gotta eat first, Natsu.” He gently put her down, patting her head and laughing when she pouted up at him. “I just had a really long practice! I have to eat if I want to fly with you, silly.”</p><p>“<em>Fine</em>,” she huffed, waiting just long enough for him to abandon his bag and take off his shoes before pulling him towards the kitchen. “Mom!” she shouted, pushing Shouyou towards the table. “Shou-chan’s gotta eat so he can take me flying!”</p><p>His mom laughed at Natsu’s eagerness. “Patience, child! You need to eat, too, silly.”</p><p>Natsu grumped, but crawled into a chair and waited for their mom to finish the curry. Shouyou drifted over to the stove, breathing in the delicious scent. Hmmm... He wanted to just... stick his hand in the pot and shovel it directly into his mouth.</p><p>“No! Go wash your hands! You nasty child,” his mother scolded, slapping his wrist.</p><p>Oops.</p><p>Shouyou laughed and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Love you~!”</p><p>“So did you win your game?” his mom asked over the running water. “You seem happy.”</p><p>“Yeah!” Shouyou quickly dried his hands and got out the bowls and the servings of mixed fruit waiting for them in the fridge. Natsu immediately dug into her bowl as soon as he set it in front of her. He pulled out a strawberry to munch on as the curry finished. “Me and Kageyama and Tanaka-senpai won so Kageyama gets to be a setter still!” He frowned, though, remembering what happened. “But I almost passed out after...”</p><p>“Shouyou!”</p><p>“<em>What</em>!” He pouted, crossing his arms and staring out the darkening window. “I didn’t realize I would burn so many calories during the game. But Suga-san helped me and my teammates know about my metabolism thing and the sunlight is in our medical bag for emergencies. I just need to have more of my protein drinks throughout the game and eat more beforehand.”</p><p>His mom was still frowning. “I’m still going to call Kazuki.”</p><p>Shouyou groaned. “You don’t need to call him!”</p><p>“I’m calling him. Monday.”</p><p>“But I have a game on Tuesday.”</p><p>“Fine, then we’ll go see him tomorrow.”</p><p>“Ugh.”</p><p>“Don’t argue, Shou-chan.”</p><p>“But we know what’s wrong,” he whined. “I didn’t eat enough!”</p><p>“Still.” His mom turned to him, brow pinched in concern. “Maybe we need to add more for your calorie intake, or maybe use different foods or something. He’ll know what’s best.”</p><p>“He’s just a doctor,” Shouyou continued to grumble. “He isn’t even a dragon!”</p><p>His mom rolled her eyes and turned off the stove, shooing him away to get to the bowls. “And he’s been taking care of dragons for decades. He knows us better than we do. Here’s Natsu’s bowl.”</p><p>Shouyou placed it down in front of his sister, reminding her to blow on it before trying to eat it. His own bowl was quickly served up and he waited for his mom to sit before they dug in. The silence between them drew out, but Shouyou wasn’t sure how to break it—even Natsu stayed quiet, glancing between them with worried eyes. He was still pretty irritated that his mom wanted to tattle to their doctor, but... She was just doing it because she cared.</p><p>“’m sorry,” he finally muttered after his bowl was cleaned. “I didn’t—I guess I haven’t eaten enough today and I got grumpy.”</p><p>“It’s okay, Shou-chan,” his mom replied easily with a gentle caress to his check and a bright smile. “I’m still calling Kazuki though.”</p><p>Shouyou sighed and stood to get seconds. He probably needed it. “Fine.”</p><p>Natsu appeared at his side, lifting up her bowl and asking for seconds as well.</p><p>After dinner and after the dishes had been cleared away, the two went into their sun-hoard room and Shouyou brought down his jar of hot, sunny, summer afternoon tears for Natsu to pick one out. Until she could reliably make her own, he and his mom let her share their tears. She chose carefully, sticking out her tongue as she shifted through the nearly clear tears for the one she wanted. Once she had hers picked out—one from a few summers ago, when they’d played in the back yard with the hose—Shouyou picked out his own—one from last summer that he had collected while collecting vegetables from a neighbor.</p><p>They bid their mom goodbye who called out that she would join them in a little bit. The two hurried towards the forest, racing to get to their shifting clearing, leaping over rocks and ducking under low branches, laughing all the while.</p><p>Shouyou let Natsu beat him by just a few steps, picking her up and blowing a raspberry to her stomach when she started gloating. She screeched, kicking and laughing and ordering him to put her down. He did so—albeit upside down—and she glared up at him in that adorably pouty way of hers.</p><p>“Flying time!”</p><p>Shouyou diligently handed her the tear she had picked out and she popped it in her mouth, only waiting a few moments before she tried to chomp on it. Shouyou did the same, letting his saliva coat the tear to soften it up before chomping obnoxiously with transformed teeth, just to annoy Natsu. She grimaced, but did the same back, showing off her pointy teeth.</p><p>He swallowed and shook out his arms and legs, waiting for the energy from the tear to warm his body. Smoke was already flowing from his mouth and nose from the embers in his chest heating up. His arms and legs and torso started lengthening, growing thicker and turning orange and scaly as he fell to his hands and knees. His neck grew, lengthening and stretching and burning in that way he loved so much. Wings stretched out from his back, flapping and pulling taught to stretch out the long unused muscles and tendons.</p><p>Man, it felt good to transform again after so long.</p><p>He watched, though, as little Natsu started rubbing against a boulder, flaky scales raining down around her as she rubbed hard against the coarse rock. Shouyou had shed his winter scales a few weeks ago, fortunately, but little Natsu was still growing and shed a lot more often than he did. And she was so tiny, too—no more than the size of a maned wolf and just as incredibly leggy. Shouyou, on the other hand, stood tall above her. His mom said he was maybe the size of a horse, but hopefully he would grow larger, even if his human form didn’t.</p><p>He hoped he grew more. Even though he knew the Hinatas were always small dragons.</p><p>Shouyou nudged his little sister with his snout, pushing her away from the rock. He flapped his wings twice, reminding her that they were there to fly, right?</p><p>Natsu jumped, not unlike a puppy, fumbling over her long legs as she scrambled up the boulder. She still needed a boost for lift off. Shouyou didn’t—he crouched down, mouth curved in a teasing snarl, and launched himself into the darkening sky. Natsu, not to be outdone, wasn’t far behind.</p><p>They glided through the air for some time, Shouyou always just above and behind Natsu to watch her as she tried new tricks Shouyou had showed her last time. They flew over their land, acres and acres of trees and climbing further up the mountain. There were very few neighbors, but the few that were there knew what they were and helped keep their secret in exchange for using their land for their farms. They were also kind enough to give them food in exchange for the land and if they helped every once in a while.</p><p>Shouyou loved his neighbors, loved how compassionate they were and didn’t mind helping them out when he could. He liked picking out vegetables, or tilling the fields with his claws, racing the other boys and their horses and plows. He loved spreading his wings, ambling through the fields to urge the animals through the pastures with Natsu bounding at his side.</p><p>A large shape barreled past, sending both him and Natsu tumbling through the air. His mom turned, grinning as much as she could, and dove down in a spiral.</p><p>Shouyou and Natsu gave chase, but her much, much larger wings were sure to beat them every time.</p>
<hr/><p>“Kuroo-san!” Natsu called as they entered the office. “Kuroo-san! We’re here!”</p><p>“Natsu-chan!” Doctor Kuroo teased as he came into the waiting room, leaning down to pick her up and rub noses with her. She giggled and kicked until he put her back down. “Koharu-chan! So nice to see you.”</p><p>His mom bowed. “Thank you for seeing us today, Kazuki-kun.”</p><p>“Anything for you, my dear,” he replied with his charming smile. He was an older man, probably in his sixties, with greyed hair and kind, dark eyes. From what Shouyou knew, he and his mom had been friends since he was young and she was the entire reason he went into medicine and opened up his clinic in the first place. Over the years, he had become renowned as a specialist in his field, but only his special clientele and his receptionist knew what he really specialized in. He was a good man, Shouyou knew, giving them discounts on their care and always being available for them whenever they needed. He had even come to Shouyou’s school before classes started to tell his teachers to be lenient with his eating habits, at least.</p><p>He turned to Shouyou, then, and turned somber. “Shouyou-kun. Pleasure as always.”</p><p>“Likewise, Kuroo-san,” Shouyou replied just as gravely with a bow of his head.</p><p>The two grinned as his mom rolled her eyes and Natsu giggled. Pleasantries out of the way, they moved through the office after Doctor Kuroo had locked the door. Behind the receptionist’s desk was his office, a bathroom, and two exam rooms. Doctor Kuroo led them into the exam room to the right—the one specifically more tailored to their kind—and patted the exam table, motioning for Natsu to hop up onto it. She did so with glee, swinging her legs and gazing around the room.</p><p>“I thought we were here for Shou-chan?” she asked innocently, pouting when Doctor Kuroo brought over his rolling table of instruments. Her file was open with Shouyou’s underneath, he noticed as he sat next to his mom.</p><p>“Your mom says you’ve been itchy,” said Doctor Kuroo, picking up something that looked like a magnifying glass but the glass was tinted blue.</p><p>“She’s been shedding a lot,” Shouyou replied.</p><p>“Have you been eating more, Natsu?”</p><p>Natsu frowned and shook her head. “No. It makes my tummy upset.”</p><p>Doctor Kuroo hummed, holding up the blue lens to his eye and lining up with Natsu’s mouth. With his other hand, he lined up his fingers along the middle of her collar bone. “Be a dear and open wide, Natsu. I’m checking your fire so you’ll feel a little pressure on your throat.”</p><p>She opened wide, breath wheezing slightly as he pressed up with his fingers. Embers swirled from her mouth, dying out as soon as they escaped.</p><p>“Good girl,” he cooed, taking away his fingers. “Let me see those chompers, eh?”</p><p>The teeth were easy enough to transform, hardly taking any energy. She gnashed her teeth playfully at his magnifying glass, which he still held up towards her mouth. With a dentist’s mirror thing, he looked at her teeth, moving back and smiling widely at her. “Have your teeth been hurting?”</p><p>“A little, yeah...”</p><p>“Looks like you’re gonna get your adult teeth coming in soon!”</p><p>Natsu punched the air. “Yeah!”</p><p>His mom muffled a giggle behind her head. Shouyou straight up laughed—his sister was just so adorable and cute sometimes. Okay, well, all the time.</p><p>As he took her temperature, Doctor Kuroo said, “With her shedding so much, she really should be eating more. But if her stomach’s upset, let’s try softer, blander things. Maybe some bread and lightly seasoned broth as an afternoon snack and before bed.” He wrote down her temperature, checked her pulse and blood pressure, then gave her one of his mom’s tears he kept on hand for her to transform for her to chew on. “Alrighty, Natsu. You know the next part! Go with your mom to the big room. If you’re itchy, go ahead and use the scratcher, okay?”</p><p>“Okay!” She popped the tear into her mouth and hopped off the table, following their mom to the largest room of the building. It was huge, easily two stories tall and wide enough for a full-grown dragon to transform. For the public, it was labeled as a physical therapy room and even had all the equipment lined up against the walls. But, primarily, it was for his more special patients who needed the large room to transform.</p><p>Doctor Kuroo turned to him, eyebrow raised as he changed gloves. “Up on the table, Shou-chan.”</p><p>Shouyou quickly hopped onto the table and suffered through all the same tests Natsu had gone through. He knew exactly why his mom had to leave the room and he <em>did not</em> want to have the conversation <em>at all</em>.</p><p>“Your mom says you’ve been kinda grumpy,” Doctor Kuroo said finally, after writing down the results from his blood pressure.</p><p>“High school volleyball is a little more work than middle school volleyball,” he tried to say as evenly as he could. “I almost passed out after our game yesterday. I just need to eat more.”</p><p>“It’s also spring,” Doctor Kuroo pointed out, looking back at Shouyou’s file. “You had your first—”</p><p>“<em>Cycle</em>—”</p><p>Doctor Kuroo gave him a funny look, but conceded. “Your first <em>cycle</em> around this time last year. May, I believe.” He sat back in his chair, swiveling from side to side, arms crossed as he looked up at Shouyou thoughtfully. “You said you’d been grumpier in the two weeks leading up to it, hungrier but losing your appetite, and had a rise in temperature in the few days leading up to it.”</p><p>Shouyou groaned. “I can’t miss volleyball so early!”</p><p>Doctor Kuroo raised his eyebrow. “What about school?”</p><p>“... That too. But!” Shouyou groaned again and put his head in his hands. “I don’t wanna be out for three days! It’s so <em>embarrassing</em>!”</p><p>“There’s nothing wrong with heats—”</p><p>“<em>Cycles</em>!”</p><p>Doctor Kuroo huffed out a little laugh. “<em>Cycles</em>. They’re quite normal and only happen once a year.”</p><p>“And I hate it! I’m always hot and thirsty and—” Shouyou blushed, ducking his head further so Doctor Kuroo couldn’t see it. “It’s miserable!”</p><p>Doctor Kuroo patted his knee and rolled away to take off his gloves. “It’s only for three days. Check your temperature when you wake up and before you go to bed and if it gets above 38.3 you know you have about two days before it hits. That way you won’t be at school like last time.”</p><p>Ugh. Shouyou hated that he had reminded him of that. It had been awful and his mom had had to pick him up and leave him with supplies and it had just been so <em>awkward</em>. He hadn’t been able to look or talk to his mom for <em>weeks</em> after that, even though she had assured him that it was nothing to be ashamed of.</p><p>“You do need to up your calorie intake, though,” Doctor Kuroo continued as he went through one of the bottom cupboards. He pulled out large cloth bag like his family used for grocery shopping and rolled back to give it to Shouyou. “Now, don’t be embarrassed—”</p><p>“Too late.”</p><p>“But this should help.”</p><p><em>Great</em>. Shouyou could already feel the mortification settling through his body as he peeked into the bag. Several bottles of sports drinks, protein bars, lube—</p><p>“No!”</p><p>“<em>Yes</em>.” Doctor Kuroo was trying to hide a smirk, Shouyou could tell. The jerk! “I promise this will help. Several other teenagers have said that it helps to reduce the he—<em>cycle</em> by a whole day and lessen some other symptoms.”</p><p>“Thanks, I hate it.”</p><p>“It sucks, I know.” And that’s what Shouyou liked so much about Doctor Kuroo—he was kind, but he was also blunt and didn’t hold back when he knew what his patients needed. “But it’ll help and you’ll feel less awful. Now, do I need to explain—”</p><p>
  <em>“I think I know what these are thanks.”</em>
</p><p>The older man outright laughed, throwing his head back and sounding not unlike a dying hyena. Shouyou just wanted to die, wanted the table to swallow him up and put him out of his misery. “I suggest practicing a little bit before your cycle hits. You remember how dazed you were. You don’t want to try to figure these out while your mind is so hazy.”</p><p>“Got it,” Shouyou grumbled, folding the bag up and praying to every deity he knew that his mom wouldn’t ask about it.</p><p>“Now,” Doctor Kuroo said, turning serious again. “How extensive is practice? How much more are you doing?”</p><p>“Uhm, a lot?” Shouyou wasn’t quite sure how to answer. “I’m practicing with an actual team, now, so I’m doing a lot more than just playing against a wall, yanno? But now we do morning and afternoon practices almost every day.”</p><p>“And the game? You said you almost passed out?”</p><p>“Well, yeah,” Shouyou shrugged. “I figured I probably need to eat more before and drink my protein drinks during the game at the very least.”</p><p>Humming, Doctor Kuroo flipped through his file and started making notes. “You’re already over four thousand calories a day... I recommend eating more just before practice and after practice and at least a protein drink throughout practice. Nuts and cheese should be easy enough. Fruit like bananas should help, too.”</p><p>“Ugh, that’s so much...” He could just imagine the others teasing him about it, too. Having to take snack breaks like a kid...</p><p>“It’s to keep you healthy, Shou-chan.” Doctor Kuroo was looking at him, head tilted, as if pondering something. “How’s your hoard? Have you collected any friends yet?”</p><p>Out of everything, Shouyou loved to talk about his hoard. “Yeah! Well. I mean, no one in class yet because they think I’m <em>weird</em>, but everyone on the volleyball team said they’d be my friend!” he gushed. “After this, mom is taking me to go get albums for them so I can set them all up! Right now I only have pictures of them, though. I don’t know a lot about them, but I will!”</p><p>Doctor Kuroo grinned up at him and patted his knee again. “Good. Now, did you put some tears in your team’s medical bag?”</p><p>“Yup!”</p><p>“Does anybody <em>know</em> about your status?”</p><p>Shouyou sighed and shook his head. “They all just know I have a hyper metabolism. The vice-captain has been doing a lot to make sure I’m okay with that, at least, and they’re all pretty nice about it.</p><p>Doctor Kuroo turned to the rolling table, idly straightening some of the instruments. “You know I say keep the people who know limited,” he started quietly, finger tracing the magnifying glass. “And I think it’s prudent to keep it a secret. Especially with how new these friends are.”</p><p>“I get it.” Shouyou kicked his feet, careful not to let them bang against the exam table as he stared at his knees. “I’m scared, to be honest. I think one of them might suspect something already... I accidentally let out some steam in front of him... And I don’t know if he could ever be a close enough friend that I could trust with that, anyway.”</p><p>“Why do you say that?” Doctor Kuroo leaned back in his chair, folding his hands over his stomach and giving him a calm, patient look.</p><p>“Well, we’re rivals,” Shouyou replied with a shrug. “And we just get on each other’s nerves all the time.”</p><p>Doctor Kuroo leaned forward with a gentle smile and patted his knee again. “It’ll all work out. You’ll see.” With a groan, he stood and stretched his back until it popped. “Let’s go get your dragon measurements, shall we? Grab a tear.”</p><p>Shouyou grabbed one from the jar and quickly followed the doctor towards the larger room. Natsu had already transformed and was bouncing around the room, trying to get enough jump to fly. Her legs were a little too long and thin to get her much lift and she ended up tumbling over herself for the most part, but she seemed to be having fun, anyway. Doctor Kuroo pulled over the rolling table from the corner of the room and set their files next to the tape measurer.</p><p>“Natsu-chan! Come here, please!”</p><p>Natsu stumbled over and pouted—as much as she could, anyway—at their mother who was trying to hide a giggle behind her hand. Her other hand held on to the broom and there was a pile the size of a small dog of translucent scales at her feet. Doctor Kuroo got to work taking Natsu’s measurements, getting their mom to help when he needed the wingspan and from toe-to-tip measurements. The small flame of fire he had her breathe was impressive for her size, he had said, making Natsu wiggle with unrestrained glee.</p><p>“You’re getting so big!” he praised, patting her head, minding her horns. She preened under the attention and licked his wrist and then stood still long enough to get some teeth measurements. “Everything looks to be in order! If you don’t mind, Koharu-chan, I’ll take some of her scales to test to make sure there’s no other reason for her itchiness.”</p><p>“Be my guest,” she muttered, raising an eyebrow at the pile of scales at her feet.</p><p>“Shou-chan! Your turn!”</p><p>Shouyou quickly chewed and swallowed the tear, shivering as the heat spread through him. He stood back far enough so he wouldn’t knock into anything before shifting. He shook his entire body, relishing in the stretch. Man, it felt so good to be in this form.</p><p>Doctor Kuroo took all of his measurements, muttering that he had grown a few centimeters since their checkup two months ago. Shouyou preened at that. Maybe he would get as big as his mom one day!</p><p>Once he was done with Shouyou’s measurements, they were urged to change back and follow him into his office. Once sat, and with Shouyou doing his best to keep nosy Natsu from finding out what was in the bag, Doctor Kuroo pulled over another file and a small stack of papers. “There’s something I wanted to ask you,” he said, pushing the stack of papers towards their mom. “My grandson is just a few years older than Shouyou—it’s his last year of high school. He’s finally decided that he wants to go into medicine and take over my practice. He knows about dragons, of course, but he doesn’t know who except those who are willing to let him know already. I’ve been... educating him about dragons in vague terms, but... you know each line is different.” He tapped the paper. “If you’re willing, this is consent forms so I may educate him in more detail and so he may sit in on office visits in the future. Of course,” he added with a wry smirk, “he could end up changing his mind about going into medicine, but he seems fairly passionate. But I wanted to start educating him so he’ll be ready when I retire, or if something happens to me.”</p><p>“Kazuki-kun...”</p><p>“Koharu-chan.” He gave her a sad smile. “I’m getting older, my friend. I’m trying to do what’s best for you—for all of you. Fortunately, he won’t have to go through the trial and error I had to.”</p><p>“I think it’s a good idea,” Shouyou said brightly, hoping to make the heavier atmosphere go away. “Do I know him? Would I know him? That’s so cool that he wants to do this!” he gushed, wiggling in his seat.</p><p>Both adults turned to him with watery smiles. It was a start, anyway.</p><p>Doctor Kuroo chuckled. “You might? He goes to a school in Tokyo and plays volleyball, so you might end up seeing him eventually.”</p><p>“<em>Uwah</em>! So cool!”</p><p>His mom laughed and tugged the consent forms closer. “I suppose it’s fine.” She quickly signed the papers, barely even skimming it, and pushed it back. “What say you join us for lunch, Kazuki-kun?”</p><p>“I wouldn’t love anything better.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>RIP Shouyou lol</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Short chapter, sorry. :/ And a long time coming, lol</p><p>Also mind the updated relationship tag. Yuppers, kiddos. We're going the Terushima Yuuji/Hinata Shouyou endgame route ;) And I finally have a tentative direction this is going, lol</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was something... <em>odd</em>, about Hinata Shouyou. Maybe odd wasn’t the right word choice, but Suga couldn’t really put his finger on why Shouyou was so strange.</p><p>There was just something... <em>old</em>, about him. Maybe. But that didn’t really make much sense, now did it? Old, <em>pfft</em>. The kid was only a first year. He was younger than Suga, and too happy and carefree to be <em>old</em>.</p><p>But... Then again... There were times where Shouyou just became... super intense. It was, frankly, terrifying when he stared with those wide, unblinking eyes. It was like a predator was staring at them, daring them to make their first mistake so he could pounce and rip out their throats. Like a wolf, or rather more like a panther, lying in wait, watching, calculating, determining where to best sink his claws and teeth.</p><p>But... On the other hand... Suga felt... <em>safe</em> around Shouyou. Despite how terrified those eyes made him sometimes—and, during those times, Suga had to remind himself that it was impossible for people to have <em>cat pupils, it’s just a trick of the light</em>—Shouyou was just a really nice presence to have around. The boy certainly made him feel loved and appreciated, sometimes bringing him little gifts of little rocks or cheeky smiles and loved to cuddle under Suga’s arm after eating lunch. He was always warm—sometimes too warm, but Suga didn’t have the heart to tell him no when he burrowed under his arm like a little puppy, grinning up at him with such joy that it physically pained Suga to even <em>think</em> about denying Shouyou cuddles. But he still made Suga feel safe, somehow, even though it was Suga who had his arm wrapped around the smaller boy.</p><p>It was even unbearably adorable how Shouyou would sometimes just... stop and bask in the sunshine. They’d be walking to class, or to the club, or up on the roof and sometimes Shouyou would just... pause and turn his gaze upwards, eyes closed and a serene little smile on his lips as he just stood there, letting the sun warm his skin. It wasn’t unlike a sunflower pointing up at the sun, following its path as it trekked across the blue sky. Sometimes he would even pause in the middle of practice and walk, as if in a trance, towards a beam of light coming from the windows and just sort of... stand there until someone startled him out of it.</p><p>It was strange, for sure, but it was also kind of cute.</p><p>He was also eerily good at predicting the weather, just by a quick glance at the sky. He was often times more accurate than the weather apps, when Tanaka tried to challenge him one week.</p><p>Things just didn’t really add up about Shouyou, but...</p><p>Even though Suga was curious, he wasn’t sure he really wanted to know. If he could handle whatever secret Shouyou was surely keeping.</p><p>And then, somehow, his precious little kohai managed to convince Asahi to join the volleyball club again. He wasn’t quite sure how, but he gave the boy an appreciative head rub after Asahi declared he was coming back. Shouyou beamed up at him, and Suga found it hard to refrain from picking him up and squeezing the life out of him.</p><p>Which sort of reminded him...</p><p>“Asahi? Nishinoya?” he called out before the two could leave after changing after playing against the neighborhood volleyball team. The two glanced up, terrified and curious, respectfully. “Can you hang back a bit? I need to talk to you about something.”</p><p>“A-Ah—”</p><p>“Nothing bad!” Suga tried to smile charmingly. “It’s not about the fight. Or your absence. I promise. I just need to talk to you about something.”</p><p>Shouyou, annoyingly enough, lingered, eyeing the three as he finished getting dressed. But Suga held firm and shooed him from the room, promising to see him in the morning with a cheerful head pat. Once they were finally alone, Suga turned back to his teammates. Asahi, the poor, glass-hearted boy, looked on the verge of a panic attack. Nishinoya looked conflicted, unsure if he should try to comfort his friend or start a fight with Suga.</p><p>“Man, calm down,” Suga said with a grin. “I just wanted to fill you in on some things you missed since you were gone.”</p><p>“Missed?” asked Nishinoya, curiosity almost winning out over his concern.</p><p>“Yeah.” Suga shrugged, then sat on the floor. The two tentatively followed suit. “It’s about Shou-kun. Everyone else knows, but you need to know, too, in case something happens?”</p><p>“’In case something happens’? What do you mean by that?” asked a nervous Asahi. He had hunched down into as small of a ball as the giant could manage. “What’s wrong? Is he sick? Does he have cancer? Oh, no, don’t tell me—”</p><p>Suga waved away his concern. “It’s nothing bad, I promise. But he’s got a hyper metabolism and he runs hotter than normal, so don’t freak out about it. He eats a lot, too, so we need to remind him to take a lot of breaks so he can have his protein drinks. He forgets, sometimes, because he’s so invested in volleyball, you know?”</p><p>Nishinoya nodded along. “Yeah, I noticed that Shimizu-san makes him take breaks more than everyone else.”</p><p>“Yeah...” Darkness had settled outside, pinpricks of light up in the sky as the brighter stars shone over the light pollution. “He eats lunch on the roof with me and Daichi and Tanaka. It helps him, I think. Because we don’t make fun of him.”</p><p>“Make fun of him?” Asahi asked quietly into his knees.</p><p>Suga shifted, unsure of how to continue. He felt bad for talking so much about Shouyou behind his back, but... Suga figured it was okay, because he was doing it because he cared. “Shou-kun... He uh...” Crap. How was he supposed to even say this, anyway? “Please, if he asks you about being friends... please be kind to him. He’s struggling a lot with making friends in his class, and friendship is important to him. Having friends is important to him,” he amended, remembering how the poor boy nearly shook out of his shoes because he wanted to take Suga’s picture so badly. “He’s going to ask you a <em>lot</em> of questions. Probably write them down in a notebook. Will probably give you a really intense look, as if he’s... dissecting you. Will want your picture and everything.”</p><p>Asahi did not look convinced that being friends with Shouyou was a good idea. Damn it.</p><p>“It’s nothing bad!” Suga continued, waving his arms to try to placate Asahi. “He’s just... It’s just... Friendship is probably more important to him than volleyball.”</p><p>Nishinoya’s eyes widened at that. He’d practiced with the kid a few times and <em>knew</em> how much the boy loved volleyball.</p><p>Before he could say anything, Suga hunched his shoulders, looking away. He didn’t really want to say, but... it felt too important to be left unsaid. Besides, he’d already alluded to it earlier anyway. “I think... I don’t think his classmates are bullying him, per se, but... I don’t think they’re very nice to him, either.”</p><p>“What?” asked Asahi, the surprise pulling him out of his nervousness. “But he’s so...”</p><p>“<em>Cute</em>,” Nishinoya finished, eyes burning.</p><p>“He said that they think he’s weird, or something. Because of his lunch?” Suga shrugged, not really understanding the whole thing. It was a stupid reason to think someone was weird. Besides, athletes ate a lot, anyway. Suga had even seen other kids eat just as much as Shouyou before. And Shouyou had other oddities on top of the food thing that, honestly, were more worrisome than two bentos for lunch, though the kid was harmless. “And they probably don’t like him because his teachers allow him to eat in class.”</p><p>Asahi frowned at that. “It’s for his health, though, right?”</p><p>“Yeah...” Suga shrugged again, wiggling his toes as he glared down at them. “I’m not sure if I’m making matters better or worse. I drop him off at class in the morning and pick him up for lunch and then for practice, too... So... I mean, maybe it makes him cool because he’s friends with third years? But also, like, what if that ostracizes him even <em>more</em>—”</p><p>“Whoa, whoa! Hey now!” Nishinoya waved his arms to make Suga stop. “Leave the overthinking to Asahi-san!”</p><p>“Gee, <em>thanks</em>.”</p><p>“No problem.” Nishinoya grinned at an annoyed Asahi. He turned his grin to Suga. “We’ll just have to show him that we’re better friends!” Determination shone in his eyes, fists clenched.</p><p>Good. At least one of them was on board. Suga laughed under his breath as Nishinoya bullied Asahi into at least <em>trying</em> to be friends with Shouyou.</p><p>Given time, Shouyou would surely break down Asahi’s walls anyway. He was tenacious like that.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Oops my hand slipped :/</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The game with Aoba Johsai went surprisingly well, even though Suga made him chug protein drinks every time he was on the bench. He was still exhausted after the match, barely managing to shove whatever food Suga placed in his hands on the bus into his face on the ride home. The others showed concern as he was nearly falling asleep while cleaning up. It warmed his heart, filled him with renewed energy. His friends! They actually cared about him and—!</p><p>Tanaka offered to buy him meat buns afterwards, too. Unfortunately, they were out, but the kind shop owner at least gave them power bars. It would be enough to get Shouyou home.</p><p>... Hopefully.</p><p>“Hey,” Suga asked before they parted ways. “I can walk you home? Or maybe my mom can give you a ride?”</p><p>“I’m fine!” Shouyou insisted. Ah, man, was he that transparent? He couldn’t let his hoard know how tired he was. “I’ll make it!”</p><p>“You did a lot today, though...” Suga placed a hand in Shouyou’s hair, ruffling the strands. “Are you sure you ate enough? Maybe you should come to mine for dinner!”</p><p>Daichi smacked his shoulder. “Knock it off, Suga. You made him drink at least three protein drinks and all his snacks on the way home. He’ll be fine. He’d let us know if he wasn’t.” Here, he turned to Shouyou and gave him a dangerous look. “<em>Right</em>?”</p><p>Shouyou gulped and hurriedly nodded. “Right!”</p><p>Despite how bone tired he was, he raced home and ate and showered before falling into bed. He’d worry about homework later.</p><hr/><p>Noya-senpai was possibly the single coolest person Shouyou had ever met. Well. Aside from Tanaka-senpai and Suga and Daichi and—</p><p>Anyway.</p><p>Noya-senpai was more than enthusiastic to become part of Shouyou’s hoard. Shouyou barely even had to ask before Noya was all over him, taking the camera from him and smooshing their faces together for a silly picture after practice.</p><p>Noya was easy to get along with, that was for sure. He was kind, too, if a little gruff. But Shouyou liked him and couldn’t wait to get another album for him to add him to his collection.</p><p>Convincing the ace to join again was a whole other matter. But in the end, it wasn’t all that difficult to get him to play again. He was reluctant to have his picture taken, but Noya-senpai cajoled and bullied him enough into it that he took a picture with Shouyou with a nervous grin. It was alright, but maybe he would try to spring a happier picture from him when they weren’t so tired.</p><p>However, he woke up the next morning feeling just awful. His legs were shaky and he was sweating and hungry but the thought of food made him want to puke. Annoyingly enough, his temperature was much higher than normal. His cycle would probably start tomorrow or the day after, at this rate.</p><p>With a sigh, he rolled out of bed to take a cool shower. There wasn’t any way he could attend practice like this, as much as he hated the thought of missing. He shot Suga a quick text saying he wouldn’t make it for the morning practice, but not to worry! His mom, as he came to the kitchen for breakfast, shot him a knowing look before placing his plate in front of him.</p><p>“Do you need to stay home today?” she asked.</p><p>Shouyou shook his head. “I’m fine! It probably won’t hit until tomorrow! I’ll just skip practice today.”</p><p>His mom raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you sure you want to risk what happened last time?”</p><p>“I’ll be fine!”</p><p>She hummed, but didn’t argue further.</p><p>And, perhaps, he should have listened to her. School was just <em>miserable</em>. He was distracted and hot and sweaty almost all day, even with wearing the bare minimum he was allowed. At lunch he ate with the third years and Noya and Tanaka on the rooftop like usual and tried his hardest to choke down his food but he really, honestly just wanted to throw it back up. The rice sat heavy on his tongue, the meat lodging in his throat, the fruits and vegetables feeling like boulders in his stomach.</p><p>“Hey,” said Suga, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Shou-chan... Are you okay?”</p><p>And it didn’t help that he just... really wanted to bend one of them over and have his way with them. Or, the other way around. He wasn’t picky, at the moment. He just <em>needed</em>—</p><p>“I’m <em>fine</em>,” he squeaked out. “Just—I might be sick.”</p><p>“I’ll say,” Suga replied, frowning at his half eaten bento. “You’re barely touching your food. And you’re hot. Hotter than usual, I mean.”</p><p>“What’s wrong with him?” Asahi asked quietly. Noya also leaned forward to gaze curiously at him. This was the first time all six of them were eating together and Noya and Asahi hadn’t seen his true eating habits yet. They’d been surprised when he had pulled out the two boxes, but fortunately hadn’t said anything.</p><p>Suga waved their concerns away, even though he still seemed fairly concerned himself. “Do you need to go to the nurse, Shou-chan? Home?”</p><p>Shouyou shook his head more vehemently. “No! I can last through the afternoon. I’ll go home after school instead of coming to practice.”</p><p>Daichi choked on his drink. “It has to be serious if you’re willingly missing practice!”</p><p>“It’s just—related to my condition!” Shouyou tried to explain. He squirmed at their attention on him, feeling hotter for another reason. “I’ll be out for a few days but it’s nothing serious or anything!”</p><p>They were all frowning at him, though it seemed like no one wanted to voice whatever they were thinking.</p><p>The afternoon took entirely too long. He barely paid any attention, instead drifting away into hazy little daydreams. Apparently, his teachers were going easy on him because they didn’t even try to call on him. Only one towards the end of the day even asked if he was okay, if he needed to go to the nurse. It didn’t even cross his mind to get tomorrow’s homework until he was walking through his door.</p><p>But by then it didn’t really even matter. He was more concerned with getting his supplies for the next two or three days than he was with any homework he might have.</p><p>Several protein drinks and bottles of water and granola bars took residence on most of his nightstand. A bucket of cool water and a rag sat on his floor out of the way but in easy reach. Reluctantly, he pulled out the giant bottle of lube, dildo, and fleshlight that had been in the bag Kuroo-san had given him and set them on a towel near his hip. After shutting his door (though not locking it, <em>just in case</em> there was an emergency—both his mom and sister, unfortunately, knew not to disturb him unless absolutely necessary) he settled on another towel on his bed, hoping it would keep his sheets from becoming too gross.</p><p>With a shaky sigh, Shouyou settled in for a long few days.</p><hr/><p>“Sorry, Daichi,” Suga said as sweetly as he could. “Can’t come over tonight.”</p><p>Daichi and Asahi both frowned in confusion at him. “What? Why not?”</p><p>“We always hang out on Fridays,” Asahi added nervously, fiddling with his bag strap, despite the fact that he hadn’t hung out with them for several Fridays—not since his fight with Noya.</p><p>“I know.” Suga waved his own bag with a teasing grin in front of them. “But I’m going to bring Shou-kun his homework. Make sure he’s okay, you know?”</p><p>Daichi gave him an odd look that made Suga’s stomach tighten. “You know you’re not his mother, right?”</p><p>“Well.” It was Suga’s turn to fiddle with his bag strap as he avoided their curious looks. “He’s my underclassman, and—” He hesitated, chewing on the inside of his cheek as he tried to think of what to say. “I do care about him. He’s just—He’s so sweet, and I’m worried about him, and—”</p><p>No. He couldn’t say what he <em>really</em> wanted to say.</p><p>But his friends let him go without much more fuss, let him turn towards his house to grab his car and drive to the address he had wheedled from Takeda-sensei. It was dark by the time he pulled up to the home, high in the mountains.</p><p>He was going to do it. He was going to confront Shouyou.</p><p>He had his suspicions that Shouyou... That something was different with Shouyou. He hadn’t really wanted to find out, but lunch yesterday... Something about it made him change his mind. Suga <em>had</em> to know. He <em>had</em> to know if the boy wasn’t quite... human. It was a preposterous thought, but...</p><p>Too many things didn't add up.</p><p>Taking a steadying breath, Suga tumbled from his car, bag in hand and charming smile on his face. A small woman—not much taller than Shouyou, the poor kid—answered the door. She brightened upon seeing him.</p><p>“Suga-san!” she exclaimed, despite the fact that he had never met this woman before in his life. “What a surprise. How can I help you?”</p><p>Suga frowned down at her. “How do you know who I am?”</p><p>She only hesitated a moment. “Shou-chan talks about his friends often. I’ve seen pictures of you.”</p><p>Right. Shouyou’s tendency to take a <em>lot</em> of pictures—both on his phone and with his camera. “Right.” Suga cleared his throat and pulled out the folder he had carefully placed there earlier that afternoon. Several of Shouyou’s teachers had given him praise for being such a good upperclassman to Shouyou as he had gone around collecting his homework. “I brought Shou-kun’s homework and wanted to offer to help him with it if he’s feeling better tomorrow or Sunday?”</p><p>Shouyou’s mom glanced behind her. “I don’t think he’ll be better tomorrow, but he should be fine Sunday afternoon?” She took the folder anyway. “Thank you. I can let him know to message you?”</p><p>A high pitched whine sounded from somewhere in the house, startling him. Hinata-san only glanced over her shoulder again, head quirked just slightly. She didn’t seem bothered by the noise, or even curious. Suga bit his lip, shifting his weight on his feet.</p><p>“Hinata-san,” he started gently. She only quirked an eyebrow, urging him to continue. “I know this might sound silly, but...” But there was something old about Hinata-san, too. She felt like something displaced in time, somehow. “You... You and Shouyou—there’s something different about you, but I don’t know what, or how to ask, and—”</p><p>That look she sent him made him freeze. It was that same intense, predatory look Shouyou got sometimes. He had absolutely no idea what type of creature—they had to be not human, they just <em>had</em> to—they could be.</p><p>But what if he was wrong? What if he was just paranoid? What if—</p><p>“What do you think we are?” she asked, voice low and dangerous. Were her nails sharper than before? Something about her teeth, too—a little too pointy—and her eyes—</p><p>Her eyes were like cat pupils.</p><p>Suga gulped, but kept his ground. Even if he could feel his heart beating in his throat, he spat out, “Shapeshifters, or something.”</p><p>Hinata-san’s eyes narrowed for a moment, then she snorted. “Or something.” Her features softened into that unassuming, motherly face once more. She motioned for him to follow her. “Come on in, then, I suppose.”</p><p>He kept rooted to his spot. He could feel cold, sludgy fear encasing his chest. “Are you going to kill me?”</p><p>She barked out a laugh. “Are you going to tell?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Then no. Have you eaten?”</p><p>Suga’s head spun as he followed her inside, slipping off his shoes to trail after her to the kitchen. “No, not yet.” What was happening?</p><p>They passed a little girl in the living room with giant headphones covering her ears as she colored. She didn’t even look up as they passed. Hinata-san motioned for him to take a seat and set out a plate in front of him. She took a seat across from him, nodding at his chopsticks and urging him to eat. Another whine and a moan came from down the hallway. Hinata-san didn't seem bothered by it, so Suga pretended he wasn't, either, even if he was curious.</p><p>She waited until he had swallowed before she asked, looking entirely too calm and mischievous all at once, “What do you know about dragons?”</p><hr/><p>Shouyou groaned as he tried to pull himself out of the cool bath. He hated feeling so sticky with sweat and smelling entirely too much like... like <em>sex</em>. He could already feel the pooling arousal low in his stomach, though, threatening to pull him back under the haze if he didn’t hurry. He quickly rinsed the toys off, not even bothering to dry them before hurrying back across the hall with new towels, wet hair, and clean bucket of water and rag. He hadn’t even really dried himself off, either, relishing in the cool droplets that slid down his skin. Once the towels had been changed, he opened the window a bit wider for a bit more of a cool breeze.</p><p>A sharp knock rapped against his door.</p><p>Shouyou frowned. It wasn’t soft, like his mother usually was for this when she dropped off light food. Natsu hadn’t dared come near him since his cycle hit last night and wouldn’t until he ventured back into the kitchen when it was over.</p><p>He threw on a large shirt and boxers, trying to appear somewhat decent before opening his door.</p><p>“S-Suga?!”</p><p>“Hey,” Suga said quietly, giving him a tiny smile. He held up a bowl of fruit. “Your mom said to bring you this.”</p><p>“What are you <em>doing</em> here?” Shouyou couldn’t even close his mouth, he was so shocked. In the back of his mind, he realized he was being really rude, but he couldn’t help it! Suga needed to go before—before Shouyou dragged him into the room and did things he would most definitely regret.</p><p>“Hey, it’s okay,” Suga said soothingly, raising his hands peacefully. “I... know what you are. I confronted your mom.”</p><p>Shouyou blinked up at him, confused for a moment, before shaking his head. Yeah... He kind of wondered when Suga would find out, honestly.</p><p>But <em>still</em>.</p><p>“Okay. Cool.” He could already feel the haze setting back in, the arousal thrumming beneath his skin, the <em>need</em>— “And did she... uh... explain what’s happening to me right now?”</p><p>Suga nodded, cheeks dusting a faint pink; he kept his gaze steady. “Yeah. I... wanted to help? If I could? If you’ll let me?” He held out the bowl again, and Shouyou finally took it sluggishly, subconsciously nibbling on a strawberry as Suga stammered out, “I understand that that probably means having sex with you. I’m okay with that, if that will help you recover easier. Your mom said it would, anyway.”</p><p>“So my mom knows we’re probably gonna have sex?” Shouyou asked, not really wanting to know the answer.</p><p>“Uh. Yeah. She gave me condoms. Uhm. A lot of them.”</p><p>Shouyou couldn’t really find it in himself to care at the moment. He’d probably be mortified later, but... He tugged Suga into the room, slamming the door and carelessly setting the fruit on his nightstand. Suga’s nose wrinkled, probably at the smell, but Shouyou couldn’t care about that. Not—Not at the moment.</p><p>“If I cross a line, feel free to punch me.”</p><p>“What—”</p><p>“Boundaries,” Shouyou growled, already fiddling with Suga’s shirt. He couldn’t help it—not when there was someone <em>right there</em>— “I need to know.” And he sounded hoarse already, and they hadn’t even <em>done</em> anything yet. “Quick. I’m already going back under—”</p><p>“Anything,” Suga replied breathlessly. “Anything you need. Slow, though. I haven’t—not in a while.”</p><p>“I haven’t ever,” Shouyou quipped back, gripping Suga’s shirt in his fists to pull him down, hungrily devouring his mouth. He’d practiced, with Izumin and Kouji just before high school, wanting to be prepared, just in case. But this was different. Hungrier. Needier. He all but ripped off Suga’s shirt and his own, then dropped his boxers and nearly ripped Suga’s pants and underwear off, too. Shouyou gave him a quick apology before shoving him onto the bed and swiftly following after him.</p><hr/><p>His cycle ended gently, just like last year. He could tell it was the last one—it was less hungry, less needy, more gentle as he moved over Suga, pressing gentle kisses wherever he could reach as Suga—Koushi, Koushi now, after all that—clung tiredly to him, breathlessly moaning into Shouyou’s hair as they finished for the last time.</p><p>They were a mess, Shouyou realized, as he finally came down from his cycle. He was hot, and sticky, and sweaty, and so <em>sore</em>. But he needed to take care of Koushi—needed to—</p><p>He gently pulled out, pulled away, discarding the condom and grabbing the cool, wet rag. It was gross, of course, but the cool water would feel good. Hopefully.</p><p>His mind was still a little hazy, a little blurry and soft on the edges as he dragged the cloth over Koushi’s sweaty, sticky skin. Koushi was still breathing heavily, eyes nearly falling closed as he watched Shouyou gently clean him up. Shouyou was much rougher on his own skin, scrubbing just enough to feel Not So Gross before tossing the rag back into the bucket and flopping back into Koushi’s side.</p><p>Wait.</p><p>Was he allowed to, anymore? Oh, no—What if—</p><p>“You’re thinking too loud,” Koushi murmured, pulling Shouyou closer. “Take another nap.”</p><p>Early morning light sifted through the blinds. A slight breeze rustled them, filling the room with their clacking. It felt good on his feverish skin.</p><p>“My—cycle’s done,” Shouyou murmured into Koushi’s collarbone.</p><p>“Cool,” Koushi muttered back, one arm flopping around for the sheet. He pulled it up to cover their waists. “Then we can have a longer nap, this time.”</p><p>“Don’t we—Don’t we need to talk?” Shouyou tried to breathe around the tightness in his chest.</p><p>“Later.” Koushi dropped a kiss to the top of his head. “I need a nap, and then a shower, and then food before I can pay attention to an actual conversation.”</p><p>Shouyou didn’t even get a chance to respond as Koushi’s breathing immediately evened out. No matter. If Koushi wasn’t worried about it, then he could take a nap, too.</p><p>... After a protein drink.</p><hr/><p>Much closer to noon, Koushi woke Shouyou up, forcing him to drink another protein drink and have a granola bar before shoving him towards the bathroom. They climbed into the shower together under the warm spray, Koushi resolutely ignoring Shouyou’s protests, raising a teasing eyebrow and reminding him that they’d had sex all night and he could suck it up and wash Koushi’s back and legs for him, since he was still a little too shaky to bend down himself to do it.</p><p>Shouyou owed the other boy, so... he fought down his blush and did as he was asked. It was only a little difficult, seeing Koushi naked, still, after—But Shouyou tried to fight it down, feeling entirely too exhausted to do anything about it.</p><p>As Shouyou went to change his sheets and try to air out his room a little more, Koushi went to find them either a late breakfast or early lunch. He came back with two bowls filled with various fruits and vegetables—one obviously filled twice as much as the other—just as Shouyou had finished changing the sheets. They sat back on the bed, Koushi pulling Shouyou back against his side when Shouyou tried to leave space. He handed him the fuller bowl.</p><p>“It’s not going to be weird unless you make it weird,” Koushi started, munching on a carrot.</p><p>Shouyou picked out his own piece of melon to suck on. “That doesn’t change the fact that I just—<em>fucked</em> you for, like, twelve hours straight.” He kept his voice low, hoping his sister or mom wouldn’t overhear this conversation. It was mortifying enough as it was without an audience. "I can't believe I <em>topped</em> you and you <em>let me</em>!"</p><p>Koushi shrugged. “It helped bring you out of your—cycle quicker, didn’t it?”</p><p>“<em>Still</em>.” Shouyou brought his knees up to hide his face. Koushi saved his bowl from tipping over. <em>“We just had sex!”</em></p><p>Koushi nudged him with his shoulder, smiling gently down at him once Shouyou finally looked up at him. “Yeah. We did. We’re friends, right? True friends help each other when they can to the best of their ability. That doesn’t usually mean sex, but... These were extenuating circumstances.”</p><p>“I guess,” Shouyou muttered, picking out some broccoli.</p><p>“I <em>chose</em> to do this, Shouyou.” Koushi brought up his own knees, nibbling on another carrot. “It just—sounded <em>awful</em>, what your mom said you were going through. And I wanted to help. I don’t regret it.”</p><p>“And I’m seriously thankful to you,” Shouyou tried to say as earnestly as he could, pressing further into Koushi’s side. “I hate these so much. If you hadn’t—I’d be stuck with it for probably another day.” He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “You aren’t scared?” he asked quietly, feeling a little too hesitant, a little too unlike himself. “Of me?”</p><p>He could feel Koushi shaking his head. “Nah. It’s... sort of nice, knowing now? I’ve always felt safe around you. Now I know why.” He was quiet for a moment, taking breaths like he was going to speak again but not finding quite the right words he wanted to say. Shouyou wasn’t going to rush him.</p><p>Finally, he said, “I’m... honored, that I’m part of your... hoard, I think your mom called it? That I’m precious to you.”</p><p>Fingers tingling, Shouyou jumped out of bed, bidding Koushi to stay there a moment as he ran out of the room. He hurried to the room with all their tears, zeroing in on one of his most recent jars. His fingers sifted through the tears, searching for that specific one—</p><p>Clutching it tight in his fist, he hurried back to his room, ignoring his mom’s call to let him know lunch would be ready in an hour. Koushi was sitting at the edge of his bed, both bowls at his side, as he watched Shouyou curiously.</p><p>“Come here,” he urged, pulling Koushi by the hand to his little hoard room.</p><p>Koushi made an appreciative noise at the room. It was still mostly empty, but two entire shelves were completely covered with albums from his teammates. Izumin and Kouji’s albums flanked the window opposite the door.</p><p>“You’re here,” Shouyou nearly whispered, pointing to the album closest to the door. “Izumi and Kouji are my oldest, and... So they have their special spot.”</p><p>“Oh,” Koushi replied, sounding a little choked. Light fingers traced over the edges of his album.</p><p>“You were my first friend at Karasuno, so... You get the spot closest to the door.”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“You’re only the third person outside of my family who has been allowed in here.”</p><p>“<em>Oh</em>.”</p><p>There were tears in Koushi’s eyes. He tried to wipe them away, sniffling a little, but he laughed as he pressed the hem of his shirt to his face.</p><p>Shouyou bit his lip, gently nudging his hand into Koushi’s so he could deposit the tear there. Koushi looked up, holding the tear with reverence. He might not have known the full significance of it, but at least he knew it was precious.</p><p>“It’s so warm,” he said, sounding a little awed and quite breathless.</p><p>“That’s a dragon tear,” Shouyou explained. “Each... line, or type of dragon, can harness different things. We can harness sunlight.” Koushi looked up at him, as if expecting something else. He looked a little lost, honestly. “I... That’s from the day we became friends.”</p><p>Breath catching, Koushi closed his hand around the tear and brought it to his chest, closing his eyes. “Thank you, Shouyou.”</p><p>It was quiet, for a moment, as Shouyou let Koushi calm down. His eyes were still a little red and watery, but he was smiling at least. Shouyou pulled him back to the bed, grabbing a fistful of veggies to shove into his mouth. Koushi laughed at him, but he was <em>starving</em>! He hadn’t really eaten in, like, two days!</p><p>“Does anyone else know?” Koushi finally asked once their bowls were empty and Shouyou was cuddling back into his side.</p><p>“Just you and Izumin and Kouji.”</p><p>“I won’t tell,” he promised.</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>Quiet, again, but only for a few moments before Koushi took a deep breath. “So... We’re cool? You’re not going to fall in love with me, are you?” he teased.</p><p>Shouyou nudged him, trying to push him over to no avail. Koushi just laughed. “You’re too old for me,” Shouyou joked back, laughing hard at Koushi’s offence. He only laughed harder when Koushi pounced on him, tickling him mercilessly.</p><p>“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”</p><p>At that, Koushi finally stopped and flopped heavily on top of Shouyou. He raised himself on his arms at Shouyou’s wheeze, but gazed down at him seriously. “If you need help like this again, you just need to ask. If—If I’m around for your next one and you don’t have someone to spend it with. Your mom said having someone to help you through it made it shorter and easier, or something?”</p><p>Which... it <em>had</em>. His head had been much clearer than it had been last time, or even just the twenty-four hours before Koushi got there. Still hazy and fuzzy, but he had felt a little more aware of what was going on and hadn’t felt the all-consuming need that made him <em>hurt</em>. There had also been longer breaks between each round, which was probably the best part, honestly. It had given him time to breathe and rest and eat.</p><p>“Thanks,” said Shouyou with a gentle smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”</p><p>A gentle knock interrupted them. “Shouyou? Suga-kun? Lunch will be ready soon.”</p><p>“Come on.” Koushi hopped off of him and helped him up. “After lunch, I’ll help you with your homework, okay?”</p><p>Tears sprung to his eyes and his chest clenched tight. Ignoring Koushi’s shocked cry, he wrapped the older boy into a tight hug. How in the world did he deserve such an amazing friend?</p>
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